Mali Arrests Dozens of Soldiers Over Alleged Coup Plot Against Ruling Junta

Malian authorities have arrested dozens of soldiers suspected of plotting to overthrow the ruling military junta, which itself came to power through coups in 2020 and 2021, sources told AFP on Sunday.

“Since three days ago, there have been arrests linked to an attempt to destabilise the institutions. There have been at least around 20 arrests,” a Malian security source said.

A separate military source confirmed an “attempt at destabilisation” and noted that authorities had “gone ahead with the necessary arrests.”

Among those detained is General Abass Dembele, a respected officer and former governor of the central Mopti region. “Soldiers came early this morning (Sunday) to arrest General Abass Dembele in Kati,” on the outskirts of Bamako, said a person close to the general. “They have not told him why he was arrested.”

A member of the junta-backed National Transition Council claimed that the number of arrests could be as high as 50. “All are soldiers. Their objective was to overthrow the junta,” the lawmaker said.

The arrests come amid ongoing insecurity and political instability in Mali. Since 2012, the country has been embroiled in conflict involving jihadist groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, as well as rampant criminal and sectarian violence.

Following its seizure of power, Mali’s junta severed ties with former colonial power France and instead aligned with new partners, including Russia. Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group — and more recently its successor, the Africa Corps — have supported Malian forces in fighting insurgents and other threats. However, these foreign fighters and the Malian military have faced repeated accusations of human rights abuses against civilians.

Despite foreign military support, Mali has struggled to contain the jihadist threat, much like its fellow junta-led neighbors, Niger and Burkina Faso.

According to sociologist Oumar Maiga, the wave of arrests suggests cracks within the military leadership. “This latest purge is proof that the officers are struggling to control the situation. There are grumblings within the army’s ranks,” Maiga said. “Some soldiers are not happy with the treatment given to the Russian mercenaries at the expense of Malian soldiers.”

In July, the junta’s hand-picked legislative body passed a law granting transitional president General Assimi Goita a five-year mandate, renewable “as many times as necessary” and without the need for elections. The military government had previously promised a return to civilian rule by March 2024 — a pledge that now appears abandoned.